Posts Tagged ‘2015 chicago auto show’

Newly painted silver, the Ford GT is now on display at the annual Chicago Auto Show.

Ford’s new all-American supercar, the GT, will actually be rolling out of a plant in Ontario, the maker has confirmed.

The 600- horsepower “ultracar” will be produced by Multimatic Inc., a suburban Toronto supplier with extensive experience using the exotic carbon fiber that will be used for the Ford GT body. Multimatic previously produced the Aston Martin One-77 supercar which also used the super-light material.

High Performance News!

Bedecked in a new silver paint scheme, the GT concept is currently on display at the Chicago Auto Show. It was originally painted blue when unveiled at the North American International Auto Show – where it was one of the event’s big surprises.

Nissan's 370Z Roadster NISMO Concept is the latest to display the maker's high-horsepower badge, but not likely the last.

“Welcome to NISMO World,” proclaimed Nissan’s Darren Cox, as he stood on stage at the Chicago Auto Show surrounded by new models from the Japanese maker’s high-performance brand.

On one side sat the low and menacing GT-R LM P1 race car Nissan plans to campaign on the Le Mans endurance circuit this year. Off Cox’s other shoulder, the 370Z NISMO Roadster Concept that is all but certain to join the performance unit’s growing line-up in the next year or two.

Power!

That would bring to five the number of models sold by Nissan’s ultimate performance unit, but the party is likely to get even bigger in the near future, NISMO’s global marketing manager told TheDetroitBureau.com in an exclusive interview. (more…)

Ford has gone to the dogs! Failing to remember the sage advice attributed — falsely — to W.C. Fields, “Never work with children or animals,” Ford clearly forgot the second half of the famous line in Chicago today when it enlisted the assistance of Keegan, a Belgian, to pull the cover off its new police interceptor model.

Fortunately, Ford had little to worry about in regard to the well-trained Belgian, who performed the task right on cue and even took the time to pose with the new model afterward.

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Since its introduction three years ago, the Interceptor has become the top-selling law enforcement vehicle in the country. But Ford is responding to requests to make it an even more effective tool for crime fighters, a number of changes based on recommendations from a 25-member Police Advisory Board.

“Our Police Interceptor Utility is the best-selling police vehicle in America because we have a unique relationship with our customers,” said Jonathan Honeycutt, Ford’s North American marketing manager for Police Vehicles. “By listening to the Ford Police Advisory Board, we have engineered a vehicle that officers love.”

Potential buyers won’t get a chance to slip behind the wheel of the fourth-generation Mazda Miata for some months, but the Japanese maker is already reaching out to those looking to customize the little roadster with what it has dubbed the “2016 MX-5 accessories design concept.”

Set to make its debut at the Chicago Auto Show later this week, it will anchor Mazda’s new Heritage Collection, three apparel lines “inspired by key themes of Mazda’s past, present and future,” the maker says.

Auto Insight!

Mazda isn’t saying much about the accessories concept before the maker’s Thursday news conference in the Windy City. No surprise. It has been dribbling out details about the 2016 MX-5 since it was unveiled last September, only this month confirming that the SkyActiv 2.0-liter inline-four engine that will be standard on U.S. models will make 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque.

Chevrolet will roll out a much-awaited update of its midsize Equinox crossover later this week, and is offering a little tease of what we can expect to blow into the Windy City.

The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox will get revised headlamps and new LED daytime running lights but, beyond that, Chevy isn’t saying much about what’s in store. That said, expect to see improved fuel economy, updates to the crossover-utility vehicle’s infotainment system and other tweaks meant to keep the Equinox competitive in an increasingly crowded segment.

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It will be the CUV’s first major update since the current generation was rolled out in late 2009. It remains to be seen when General Motors will offer an update to the Equinox’s near-twin, the GMC Terrain, but that is very likely to come later this year, according to industry observers.